Sunday, March 29, 2009

Velodrome

OK, that was so fun. A little scary at times and very fast, but so fun. I knew I would like it! We started out with some drills and then eventually went into some mini races. I'm going to have to hit my coach up for some track workouts now! Chris from Faster Mustache was out there shooting some video so I'll post a link when I see it.

On not such a nice note, the weatherman was wrong AGAIN. It was supposed to be sunny and 56* and instead it's cloudy, 47* and windy. I wouldn't care so much if I didn't have to go do another couple hours on the road bike...right now I just want to snuggle with the dogs and some hot chocolate!

Friday, March 27, 2009

Stoked to have a singlespeed again!

brace yourselves...

for my training hours this week...i have a whole 1.5 hours!!! woohoo. if it ever stops raining i will try and get out for a bit today to test the arm. the track clinic is still on at the velodrome this weekend despite the rain, so i need to get my track bike fit this afternoon. i'm going in to Dr. Josh Glass today to see if he can do anything to help me heal quicker!! i'm going to go crazy!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

warning: this is gross

So, my arm is not looking much better....I'm really hoping to be able to mountain bike this weekend. I haven't ridden since Sunday because it still hurts like a mofo..frustrating...I am NEVER giving blood again!!!

Coming soon....

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

ouch.

The picture does not do it justice...my arm is black and blue and I can't bend it or stretch it. Luckily I am right handed so I can do simple tasks, still...unfortunately that does not include mountain biking. I guess my girly veins have no business giving blood....I also guess that 3 days of off-road biking was not good for it.

In much much better news....the team Topeak-Ergon equipment should arrive anytime now! Everything is shipping from Germany so stay tuned....I saw some of the stuff in the Cape Epic photos and I'm pretty excited, to say the least!

Spring Women's MTB Weekend

photo by: Roby

It was great! We had 14 women from Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, and Vermont...these weekends keep getting better and better! The weather and trail conditions were perfect and the group was so much fun. Thanks to Mulberry Gap for the hospitality and great food! I'll link to more pics when I see them.

I'm currently working on finding a date for the next trip. Also in the works is a beginner-specific weekend in which we will work on basic riding techniques and skills. Stay tuned......

Thursday, March 19, 2009

wrecked!

OK, today turned out to be a little tougher than I thought it would be!

My alarm went off at 6:30 am.

At 8:30 am I was at Emory Univ Hospital signing my life away....I left with 4 stitches in my shoulder blade area from having 2 skin biopsies (to assess sweat glands).

At 10:00 am I was at Georgia Tech standing around in a bikini getting needles poked into several veins..apparently I have small veins so this was a lot harder than it should have been. Keep in mind I have stitches in my right shoulder, a sweat patch on my left shoulder, and now a catheter in my tiny little arm vein.

At 11:30 I took a blood sample and nude weight, then got on the bike....

For 2:20 I cycled at 100W in a room that was 95 deg and 45% humidity...with NO fluids or calories. Every 20 minutes I had to get off the bike, undress/dry off and get weighed, give two blood samples, put the VO2 mask on, get temperature recorded, answer some questions, and repeat.

All in all, I lost 4 lb. of body weight through sweat alone in the 2.5 hours. I was able to drink Gatorade freely afterwards but I still couldn't do the post-test urine sample...and I couldn't wait around as I had to speak to a large class of Nutrition Students at Georgia State afterwards!

So, I took off..went home, and then realized I was locked out and had 30 minutes to shower, change in to presentable clothes, and get to my presentation. I ended up sticking my head under the sink and changing into my nice clothes anyway...the presentation went well, I'm surprised I didn't pass out.

2 hours later I was finally able to pee and could start rehydrating again. I am finally getting up closer to my morning body weight..but I feel horrible!!! Mostly my shoulder is sore, my arm is really sore from all the bruised veins, and generally I feel like I got hit by a truck.

Moral of the story.....hydrate properly!!!

I leave tomorrow for the Women's MTB Weekend..I sure hope I feel better by tomorrow afternoon!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

VO2 max fun

First of all, I can sympathize with my clients...doing a detailed Food Diary is a pain in the butt...especially when you eat all day long!!! The study is going well, though. Tomorrow is the last day. I will spend it at Emory and Georgia Tech giving skin biopsies, blood, and sweat (and maybe some tears). I will spend about 2.5 hours on an indoor bike sweating away 3% of my body weight. I did get my VO2 max test yesterday. I'm not telling what it was...but I think it was decent considering I'm a female endurance cyclist. I'm sure it's nowhere near Danielle's...she is just a genetic freak! I sent the results to my coach so she'll have a better idea of where I am and how I need to be training. That test was the hardest 10 minutes ever! Actually, it was OK until the last 3 minutes....and then it was pure torture. That mask you have to wear could be the most uncomfortable thing around.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Plan B

No race today. It's 40* and raining...I don't do laps in 40* and raining anymore...not after Thomson Day '08...the coldest and wettest day I've ever had on a bike!!! Give me 95 degrees and 70% humidity and I'm happy as can be. Speaking of, I did a preliminary sweat study at Georgia Tech yesterday...They determined my sweat rate and sweat sodium concentration at 95 degrees and 35% RH. Pretty cool...I had been fairly close with my fluid and electrolyte replacement but now I can get even closer. The rest of the study includes a VO2 max, DEXA and 3 hour ride with biopsies and sweat collection. I will do all of it this coming week. I love this stuff! It really makes me want to stay in school and do my own research....

Anyway, I'm trying to rally some troops to head South today for a couple hours of riding..then a longer day tomorrow. Exactly one year ago today I was doing the same thing with Danielle, Carey, and Eddie---skipping out on the 6 hour race to ride around beautiful Macon, GA. Well, all except the beautiful part....I think I'm done with signing up for races before April.

late edit: So, I heard it barely even rained at the race. Figures! Oh well, I'm still very happy with my decision to sleep in until 11 and ride dry trails further South where it was warmer. I'm actually starting to feel like a normal, happy person again!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Change in plans???

The forecast for tomorrow's race is a HIGH of 50* and 100% chance of rain. It looks as if I may be doing my long ride on Sunday, instead. I'm not TOO sad....I've had a really rough week! I guess I'll get everything ready and see what happens in the morning!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Heritage Park Pre-ride

I did my first 24 hour solo at Heritage the year the hurricane came through...it was insane but a lot of fun. There are several new sections but the course is still as bumpy and challenging as ever. There is a lot of climbing, I think, and lap after lap at a race pace is tough. The current forecast is for 80% chance of rain and a HIGH of 52..what???? It's like 70* and sunny today! I'm being optimistic and pulling for the 20% chance of dry..I'm even OK with a little drizzle...but please no big rain!!! I really can't afford a new drivetrain (mine is barely holding on as it is)...there have been some technical difficulties with receiving the new bikes so this one has to survive just a little longer!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

deep breaths

Sometimes I wonder why I like to learn the hard way. I was expecting my thesis to come back covered in red marks, but when the first PAGE came back a disaster yesterday I pretty much lost it!!! I have not been this stressed out in a long time...and sort of wish I had taken the "easy" way out and not done the thesis. To keep this bike related, I do have the Heritage Park 6 hour race this weekend. No, I'm not ready. Not even close. So far, in fact, that I'm basically considering it a training ride because I haven't ridden 6 hours straight since last September. I'm carving out some time in this week of hell to go pre-ride the course tomorrow afternoon....even if it's raining! Go figure, the forecast for the weekend is high 50's and rain! Perfect for a mountain bike race..

Sunday, March 08, 2009

great weekend....

No pictures to prove it, but it was a fantastic weekend. Temps were in the high 70's, the sun was out, and I spent most of the weekend in the mountains....Dahlonega on Saturday and Ellijay on Sunday. My legs weren't feeling too awesome but that's OK, I hope they bounce back sometime this week as I am racing the Dirty Spokes 6 hour in six days. I am going to have to make do with the Soma Juice heavy bike for the race...I just hope I don't flat. It takes a good 40 minutes to change a flat on the bike..and that would be my only complaint with it!! It's been a long, busy, and kind of stressful winter and I'm looking forward to spring and summer! and bike racing again. I don't think my fitness is where I want it to be yet but I am going to have to just start racing anyway before I forget how :)

Saturday, March 07, 2009

Tomorrow promises to be a beautiful day. It's the next day of the rest of your life.

--David Meek, one day before he was killed while riding his bike.

I didn't know David but he was hit while bike commuting to work yesterday. He was hit by a box truck that "did not see him". Though, the law states you must give a safe distance of 3 feet to pass a cyclist on the road.

Thursday, March 05, 2009

More spring break photos

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Snow ride

I'm sure snow is no big deal to most of you..but hey, it snowed in Georgia in March and I got to ride in it two days later. Pretty cool.

The ride consisted of some slow and steady gravel road grinding, followed by some sweet somewhat tech downhill with snow/ice/mud/debris/wheel grabbing rocks which was a nice treat, a log crossing over a creek (Yes, Carey, I survived), followed by some hill intervals..HELLO fast twitch muscle fibers, where have you been???

Anyway, I now have my own Ergon BD1 pack and I absolutely love it. I cannot even tell I'm wearing it, and that is pretty impressive since I have refused to wear a pack for almost 2 years now. The Women's Small size fits me perfectly and the shoulder straps are really comfy. The harness system is just genius!

The Soma Juice makes me happier every time I ride it. The bike can climb and descend...and I can wheelie it! That is fun. I am, however, ready and waiting for my sexy German machines to arrive! :)

Monday, March 02, 2009

A taste of Michigan

So here we are, it's March. Believe it or not, there is snow on the ground in Atlanta, Georgia. It rained and snowed all day yesterday and it's sticking around today since the high is only 41* or something. The first race is in less than 2 weeks now...I think this season I will have to race myself in to endurance-racing shape. If I could go out and do a 2 hour XC race now I'd probably be OK but 6 hours seems like a long time to me right now!